


L'art du Vol

by mokyy_03



Series: Art of the Heist [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), mcyt
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Alternative Universe - Heist, Found Family, Français | French, Heavy Angst, Heist, Historical References, Major Illness, Period Typical Attitudes, Sick Character, Terminal Illnesses, art heist, they just want to save their friend :(, they need money, they steal art to sell to the underground market
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26833195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mokyy_03/pseuds/mokyy_03
Summary: September 15, 1884My friends and I decided to escape the MC Correctional Boarding School and leave to Paris, France. This school would much rather let Bad die than get him the help he desperately requires. I don't know how we'll get that money, or when. But I know that we will do anything in our power to get enough money to save him.Even if it means getting our own hands dirty.DISCONTINUED
Relationships: and even then i aint shippin the real people, no shipping for now - Relationship, only the Big Kids will get ships, they are children in this - Relationship
Series: Art of the Heist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960189
Comments: 30
Kudos: 84





	1. Dear Diary

**Author's Note:**

> hahahha art heist brain go brr

_Dear diary,_

_My name is Tubbo. I attended the MC Correctional Boarding School in Brighton, England, now long abandoned, and have lived in many different countries. I’m not sure why I am writing this.. I guess it’s to reassure myself that what I did and caused was the right choice. I never was reassured about the decisions I made all those years ago, not by Tommy, my twin, or Wilbur, our older brother. All I wanted to do was help.._

_I guess I caused more harm than good at the end of the day._

_At the boarding school, my brother’s and I had the opportunity to meet some diverting people. Niki, daughter of a powerful family with connections to the German states, who was disowned simply for knowing more than other girls did. Fundy, an orphan of pauper’s who was adopted by a rich family and sent away to Brighton to learn a thing or two. Philza, a boy around Wilbur’s age who came to the school to attend while his family went through a dispute about lands and governing. Techno, a quiet kid who spent his time holed up in the library or in the gym, learning to wield weapons and reading up on battles and wars._

_This is my little family. Of course, there are more people than just us.. But it’s not my place to tell their stories. One day, they'll come forth and say their tales, but for now, I can only tell you of our tales together as a group, no, as a family. It seems fairly odd for me to be writing it all down, remembering details from at least 5 years ago, but.._ _I need to get it off my chest, need to tell someone who wasn’t there. I need to tell them what we lived and experienced. What we lost and gained, what we learned. I need to tell someone, or the nightmares will get too much again._

_After I tell our story, my plan is to throw this book out and forget it ever existed. Hopefully by doing that, I can also throw out the regrets I have of those days. To whoever ends up finding this, and getting their hands it, please, don’t judge. What we did in those days was needed for good, it was needed to bring some closure to Bad. We needed to do it._

_We needed to be saved._

_\- Yours truly, Tubbo_


	2. September 8, 1884

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi hello i am back with a new chapter !!
> 
> so ive been changing some dates and things a couple of times so if you notice anything different, it's bc i changed it to better fit what i had in mind :D also, ill be using their usernames and such as much as possible and will completely avoid saying their real names unless it's for a quick use of plot purposes
> 
> if you wanna chat, i now have a twt! it's completely empty (just like me brain) but if you wanna shoot me a message, come say hi @milkbagio !

“Oh come on Tubbo! You keep scoring, let me have a try!” a young boy, no older than 13, cried out. Dirty blonde hair moved with his head as he scowled at another boy that looked nearly identical to him. The other boy, Tubbo, giggled as he kicked a roughed up soccer ball at the other, eyes twinkling with mischief as he pushed back chocolate brown hair away from his face.

“That’s the whole point, Tommy! You’re supposed to take the ball away from me!” Tubbo screeched and ducked as the ball was quickly thrown his way, giggles and yelling filling the late summer air. From the other side of the yard sat 2 boys and a girl, huddled around a bench and reading from the book in the oldest lap. Thin, rectangular glasses rested on a sharp nose, smiling softly as he read from a picture book to the other two. Upon hearing the twins argue, he looked up with a playful scowl, shaking his head and briefly closing the book.

“Boys, play nice! And don’t hit each ot-”

He cut himself off with a cough as Tubbo stopped and smiled, waving at the older kids enthusiastically.

“We will, Bad! Promise!”

Bad gave him a weary smile as he continued to cough the tiniest bit, covering his mouth with his hand. Fundy gave him a curious look, patting his back gently as he looked over at Niki and raised a brow. She shrugged as Bad slowly stopped coughing, clearing his throat and sighing softly.

“Sorry for that, I had something in my throat. Now, where were we?” He smiled sweetly and opened the book once more, about to start reading before a coughing fit took over once more. The book fell forgotten onto the floor as he quickly covered his mouth, shoulders shaking violently with his coughing. Fundy quickly stood and ran into the building, yelling something about getting water for him. 

Niki was immediately rubbing his back soothingly, consoling him and growing more and more worried. Bad waved her off quietly, his coughs slowing down to a stop as he wheezed for much needed air and looked at her with a watery smile. Niki frowned and motioned Fundy over when she spotted the other boy coming out of the backdoor to the kitchen.

“Are you okay, Bad? Do you need anything else?” the blonde girl asked sweetly, watching as the older boy grabbed the cup with shaky hands and thanked Fundy hoarsely, taking a large gulp of the drink. He slowly shook his head, chestnut coloured hair moving with him as he downed the water and sighed in relief.

“I’ll be okay, Niki, I promise,” he gave both her and Fundy a reassuring smile before ruffling their hair, standing up and smoothing his uniform out. “But we should most likely head back inside. It’s nearly lunchtime.”

The girl slowly nodded as she stood up as well, letting him fuss around with the bow in her hair as Fundy stood on the bench and called out to the twins. They kicked the ball to the side one last time, racing each other to the door and yelling when both tried to enter at the same time. Bad yelled at them to be nice, rushing over and pulling the two apart before an administrator could see them. Niki couldn’t help but giggle as she started walking closer, only to be stopped by a hand gently grabbing her by the shoulder. Turning, she saw Fundy’s worried expression directed at their oldest friend, who was currently scolding Tommy for smacking Tubbo across the face.

“You okay, Fundy?” she asked gently, moving his hand off her shoulder and instead holding it in her own. He let out a shaky sigh, running a hand through his hair as he gave hers a squeeze, still looking at the trio.

“I’m okay. I’m just.. Worried about him. I mean, did you hear his cough? That hurt _me_ , and I wasn’t even the one having a fit.” She slowly nodded her head, following his gaze and shaking her head a bit. Of course she was worried, she always was. Niki knew she wasn’t the only one who could see it, the way Bad’s skin had grown paler as the weeks went by, the way his hair seemed to thin out from the bird nest he used to have just 2 months prior. She’d brought it up to Skeppy once, thinking he knew something they didn’t as he was the closest to Bad. The boy had told her that he didn’t know anything, just that his best friend had a slight case of the flu, and with that, their discussion ended.

Looking at him now, Niki knew it wasn’t just any normal flu.

“Are you two muffin heads just going to stand outside, or are you coming in? Come on, the head director is joining us for lunch today!” Bad called out to them, holding the door open with a sweet smile. Niki couldn’t help but smile back as she tugged Fundy inside, giggling when he let out a yelp of surprise and nearly tripped over her. As she passed Bad and headed into the kitchen with the rest of the kids, she didn’t miss the way he began to cough once again, quickly making his way to the bathroom and locking himself inside.

She really hoped he would be okay.

\---------------

He wasn’t okay.

Anyone could see it. After he had exited the bathroom, he looked sick.  _ Really _ sick. His skin was a sickly white, his eyes a pale and tired colour. Despite all this, he walked around helping his schoolmates, passing out the plates and forks and helping the youngest kids into their chairs. Niki gave Skeppy a heads up of the situation outside, and now, he could really see it.

Skeppy was scared. He was scared something was happening to his best friend, something was destroying him slowly from the inside. He knew that Bad didn’t have the best immune system, (Skeppy remembers those nights as children where he’d stay up past their bedtime, managing his friend’s fever and making sure he was cooled down.) knew that Bad wasn’t exactly the strongest in terms of physical strength. But.. he always recovered, rather quickly too. One day he’d be sweating bullets in his sleep and the next it was like nothing had happened at all.

So why the hell was that cough still plaguing him?

Skeppy was snapped out of his thoughts when there was a loud clattering of plates and cups, followed by a yell. Before he knew it, he was sprinting towards the kitchen area, pushing past fellow boarding mates and nearly skidding past the kitchen. Throwing open the door, he felt his heart drop to his stomach at the sight.

Bad, kneeling on the ground and coughing violently as Sapnap tried to pull him away from the broken glass beside them. Skeppy was quickly beside his best friend’s side, trying to calm him down and rubbing his chest gently as his coughing got worse. There was a gurgling noise, and before Sapnap could grab the empty mopping bucket by the door, Bad was throwing up all over the kitchen floor. 

Throwing up  _ blood _ .

Skeppy could hear screaming and running as he froze up at the sight, his grip on Bad’s shirt tightening. He felt queasy, felt like he was seconds away from passing out on the spot. And yet, he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat and gently helped Bad stand up, cooing at him quietly as Sapnap came to his other side and helped him hoist him over the mess on the floor. They pushed past the students by the door, and hurried down the corridor, explaining to the teachers the situation and informing them of the mess in the kitchen as they made their way to the nurse’s office. 

Sapnap nearly kicked down the door as they pushed inside, talking to Bad to make sure he stayed awake. Skeppy laid him on one of the empty beds as Sapnap began to chuck off his shoes and coat, his breathing quick and shaky as he pressed his cold hands to the others collarbone. Bad looked feverish and delirious as teary eyes blinked slowly, lips moving as if wanting to say something. Skeppy shushed him gently as the nurses and teachers rushed inside, asking them what had happened and pulling them away as they checked on the boy.

“You two, come here  _ now _ .” the head director instructed them strictly, taking them into a side room and closing the door behind them. Sapnap mumbled incoherently, staring the the blood that stained his hands and sleeves with wide eyes as Skeppy could only stare at the door. He heard the director ask them something else, but all he could think of was Bad.

Was.. was he dying? No, no he couldn’t be. Bad was strong, stronger than anyone! He couldn’t be dying, that was impossible.

Was it?

“ _ Zak _ , I am asking you a question, young man!”

Blinking, he turned his gaze back to the head director, whose wispy brown hair was pulled back tightly into a bun. The skin around his mouth was wrinkled into frown lines, and her brows were permanently furrowed. But her eyes were gentle, despite her outburst, as she reached out and placed a gentle hand on both his and Sapnap’s shoulders.

“I understand you two are shaken up, but we need to know what happened in order to help Darryl. Will you please tell us what happened before he threw up?”

Sapnap looked at Zak, eyes pleading for him to speak up as he desperately tried to wipe away the blood on his hands. Zak slowly nodded as he looked at his feet, swallowing harshly and breathing shakily as he scratched his palm nervously.

“We.. We really don’t know. He looked a bit sick for a while, but I thought it had gone away. Niki told me he had been coughing pretty bad, and then.. Then this happened. Miss, he.. He threw up  _ blood _ ..”

Her breath seemed to hitch as he spoke, causing him to begin to tear up. Skeppy closed his eyes tight and pressed his palms against them, trying not to cry in front of them. He felt Sapnap grab at his arm tightly, before pressing his forehead against his shoulder, shakily breathing as their headmistress stepped back and let them have a moment. She shook her head, before opening the door and beginning to walk out. She stopped when a small hand grabbed at her skirts, stopping her in her tracks as she turned to look down at the two teary eyed boys.

“Miss, is.. Is Bad going to be alright..?” Skeppy asked, lashes stuck together from the tears as Sapnap nodded from slightly behind him. The woman stayed quiet, before she sighed and hesitantly pulled away from them.

“I can’t guarantee anything. However.. As a student of mine, I will do whatever it takes to save him.” she smiled at them softly before walking back into the nurse's room and talking with the rest of the teachers in a hushed tone.

Skeppy prayed she was telling him the truth.


	3. September 10, 1884

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aha brain go brr

Everything felt.. Off.

And by off, Skeppy didn’t mean the good kind. Like the feeling of the night before Christmas, or the feeling of waking up at 4 am and listening to the soft snoring coming from Bad’s cot beside his.

He sat outside the nurse’s office, legs pressed up to his chest and chin resting on his knees. His hands played with the grouts underneath his fingertips, rubbing at it subconsciously until the skin from fingers was raw and bright red. Techno sat beside him cross legged, _The Art of War_ by Sun Tzu resting on his lap as he read quietly, glancing up every now and then to the boy beside him. In front of him sat Sapnap, George and Dream, backs against the railing and mumbling softly amongst themselves. 

“Any news?” Phil called quietly as he walked up the stairs and towards them, followed by Wilbur and the twins. Skeppy glanced up at the older and shook his head, going back to looking at his shoes without a single peep. The blonde boy hummed softly as he sat beside Techno, shushing Tommy when the younger tried to say something. Blue eyes sent him a small glare before he crossed his arms and laid his head on Tubbo’s lap, sticking his tongue out at his twin brother who simply rolled his eyes and played with his tangled hair.

“It’s been 2 days, they should have at _least_ told us something by now.” Dream perked up from where he sat, white mask pulled to the side and a freckled cheek resting on his hand. Sapnap nodded along as he sighed and leaned his head back on the railing, looking up at the old and dusty chandelier hanging above their heads. The diamonds that garnished it twinkled like stars from the afternoon sun trickling in, casting rainbows over the carpeted floor and over their hands and feet.

They sat quietly, no one really being able to say anything other than the occasional hushed banter between Tubbo and Tommy. Eventually, a nurse walked up the stairs, eyes glued to the clipboard on her arm as she paid no mind to the children who sat around the door. At the sight of her, Skeppy was immediately jumping to his feet, eyes sharp and determined as he stepped between her and the door. The woman glanced up and stopped in her tracks as the rest stood up as well, staring at her quietly and waiting for something, _anything_ to happen.

“Yes, Zak? Do you need something?”

“I need to know how he’s doing.”

The woman sighed and rubbed her temple, shaking her head and reaching out for the door knob. Skeppy simply stepped to the side to cover the knob, looking up at her with scrunched up brows and tired eyes. The nurse gave him a sharp glare, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.

“I’ve told you, I’m not allowed to give out a patient’s status to just anyone, especially to you kids.”

“But he’s my friend! I’ve known him the longest, cared for him the longest.. We only have each other. Please, let us see him, just for a few minutes.”

The nurse hesitated as she looked into his eyes, weighing the situation at hand. She turned as she felt someone tug at her skirts, brown eyes meeting blue as Tubbo looked at her with an innocent gaze.

“Please, ma’am, we just want to see our friend. We promise we won’t be loud or get in your way.”

The nurse chewed on her lower lip, brows scrunching up as her heart clenched from the sight. With an annoyed sigh, she gently moved Skeppy to the side and opened the door, motioning them in with her chin and a slender finger on her lips.

“Fine, but make it snappy. And if your volume gets too loud, I will not hesitate to throw all of you out, understood?”

“Yes ma’am!” they replied in synchronization, not hesitating to step into the nurse’s quarters and heading straight to Bad’s bed. Tubbo ran in, but before he got far, he turned and smiled brightly at the nurse, thanking her before scurrying off. The woman smiled softly and closed the door, heading over to the side room and leaving them to their reunion.

Bad, whose eyes were closed before they came in, immediately opened them and looked around wildly. Skeppy was grabbing at his hand, bringing it to his chest and trying not to break down in tears. The other smiled and tried to speak, but was immediately coughing once more, his body convulsing with every hack. Dream was quickly pressing a glass of water to his lips, gently helping him tilt back his head and urging him quietly to drink.

Once his coughing had slowed down to nearly nothing, Skeppy was pulling him into a tight hug, relaxing when Bad was reciprocating his advances. Before he knew it, he was yanked back by Sapnap, who was throwing himself onto Bad and speaking a hundred words per second through the lump in his throat. Bad simply giggled quietly and hugged the other back, stroking the back of his hair and squeaking when George and Dream joined in on hugging him.

“We’re glad you’re okay..” Dream mumbled into the top of the older’s hair, closing his eyes and burying his face into dark brown locks. He could feel both Sapnap and George nodding, refusing to speak in fear that they would break down in tears. Phil stood by the foot of the bed, gently patting Bad on the knee as Wilbur and Techno stood off awkwardly to the side.

When the trio pulled away from him, both Tommy and Tubbo were on either side of him, asking a million questions per second. Bad desperately tried answering them, but the surplus of words was making his head swim and his chest begin to ache again. Just as he was about to force himself to speak, Wilbur came forward and with a sharp look quieted the twins down in less than a second. Bad sighed in relief and gave the taller boy a smile, looking to his right when he felt the bed dip slightly and coming face to face with wide, irreproachable blue eyes.

“Bad, are you going to be okay?” Tubbo asked him as he sat on his knees beside the sick boy, moving the fluff of brown hair out of his eyes and tilting his head. The older boy suddenly froze up, lips moving as he tried to come up with something to say. Anyone would see the worry growing on his face as he wrung his hands carefully, trying to pick what to say to the young boy who waited patiently beside him.

“Of course he’s going to be okay, Tubs. This is Bad we’re talking about! The same one who beat us all in archery and fencing!” Skeppy suddenly said from the other side of the mattress. Tubbo turned his attention to the older boy, before a big smile came onto his face and proceeded to nod enthusiastically.

“You’re right! Nothing can defeat him!” Bad sighed softly and nodded with a bright smile, giving the younger boy an enthusiastic thumbs up. Glancing at Skeppy, he reached out and grabbed his arm, giving it a small squeeze before turning to the twins and sitting up a tiny bit straighter.

“Ch.. Charades..?” he mumbled softly, giggling when the two youngest immediately perked up and began to argue over who went first. Soon enough, they had their game of charades going on, playful arguments and laughter erupting in the small room from time to time when they couldn’t figure out the awkward shape that Techno was nervously trying to create. 

About an hour into their visit, the nurse walked back in to tell them it was time for them to get ready for supper. They said their goodbyes in between groans and promises to come back soon. Tubbo even promised to bring some books next time so he could read them to Bad (“You can’t even read, Tubbo!” Tommy immediately cried out as he quickly ran away once Wilbur slowly started turning towards him). Just as Skeppy began stepping away as well, he felt a gentle hand wrap around his wrist, stopping him from going further.

“Wait, Geppy.. Can we talk..?”


	4. September 11, 1884

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> god writer's block is a pain in the fockin ASS
> 
> anyways enjoy the angst ! >:D

“He’s been awfully quiet, don’t you think?” Tommy whispered to Tubbo as he stared at Skeppy from across the patio, poking at the dirt with a stick he found. Tubbo looked up from weaving a flower crown for Nikki, tilting his head at Tommy before moving his gaze over to the older boy. Skeppy sat underneath an oak tree, eyes trained up at the leaves and branches as he clutched something tightly in his left hand. Tubbo shrugged and looked back down at his hands, expertly weaving the vines of the flowers through the loops he created and securing them tightly.

“He’s just worried, Tommy. If my best friend was sick and threw up blood, I’d be worried too.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that. But I mean, after yesterday, he’s been a lot more distant than the days before. He didn’t even come down for lunch! _And_ Sapnap had to sneak his breakfast upstairs.” 

Tying the last knot onto the crown, Tubbo looked up once more and met Tommy’s gaze. He chewed on his lower lip, scratching at his chin in thought. Now that he mentioned it, he really hadn’t seen Skeppy join them for breakfast, or even for supper the night before. He once again turned to look at Skeppy, blinking when he saw that the boy was nowhere to be found. Sighing, he shimmied off the brick wall they were sitting on, brushing off his pants and gently grabbing his masterpiece. Just as he was about to speak, the bell began to chime, signaling the start of their next class. Looking back at his brother, Tubbo shrugged with a smile.

“We’ll just ask him after class. Anyways, we should get going, or we’ll get in trouble for being late again!”

With that, both boys sprinted down the nearly empty halls, giggling and pushing each other along the way. They were oblivious to the tired gaze that followed them from the window in the nurse’s office, high above the lower floors and giving him a view of the entire courtyard. With a heavy sigh, Bad laid back into bed and stared up at the wood ceiling, having memorized the nicks and crannies by now. After a few minutes, he felt his eyes slowly grow heavier and heavier, lulled by the endless ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner and the gentle hum of instruments coming from the music hall below. As he succumbed to sleep, a single thought ran through his head.

When was Skeppy coming back?

\---------------

“Hey, Skeppy! Tubs and I had a question.” 

Skeppy looked up from where he was sweeping to look at Tommy, raising a brow and standing up straight. Tommy scurried over to the other, dragging his broom behind him and causing Tubbo to yell at him for dragging dirt behind him. Tommy turned and blew a raspberry at him, before turning back to the older boy and tilting his head.

“What did you need, Tommy?”

“I saw you stayed behind yesterday when we visited Bad and you didn’t come down for dinner after that. We were wondering what you guys were doing.”

Immediately Skeppy was freezing up, his grip on the broom tightening as he glared at the younger, turning away and going back to his task. Tommy blinked in confusion and furrowed his brows, before walking around Skeppy to stand before him once more. Skeppy kept his gaze on the ground, refusing to speak even when he could see the younger’s shoes in his line of vision.

“Skep? Did you hear me, or are you bloody deaf? What did you and Bad talk about? He’s my friend, and I miss him too, you know!”

“Do you miss him or do you miss _picking_ on him? Don’t think I forgot.” Skeppy spat angrily, causing Tommy to sputter over his words as Tubbo watched them from the other side. Fundy soon came to stand beside him, holding a mop in his hands as he gave Tubbo a confused look. The younger shrugged and kept watching quietly, hands tightening on the broomstick in worry for his twin.

“Picking on him? Skep, you used to do the same thing! Plus, it’s not like I did it to just him, a play tricks on ev-”

“Yeah well he didn’t like them!” Skeppy suddenly exploded, turning around to look at the younger with rage in his eyes. Tommy jumped and stepped back a bit, hesitantly chuckling as he looked to the sides nervously.

“H-Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just worried for him, I-I didn’t-”

“ **_Oh just shut it, Tommy!_ **”

Before Tubbo could blink, the broomstick was on the ground, broken in half. Skeppy had stepped on it, and was now in Tommy’s face, grabbing the lapels of his shirt and attempting to wrestle the younger kid into the ground. Yells erupted in the room by other students as Fundy and Tubbo rushed forward, trying to rip Skeppy away from Tommy. 

“Skeppy please! Stop it, just get off of him!” Tubbo cried out, ducking under Skeppy’s arm and trying to pull Tommy away. Skeppy yelled as he struggled, kicking and punching at Fundy behind him to try and break free from his hold. Fundy yelped as the other’s knuckles connected with his face, staggering back and holding onto his nose as the oldest lunged at the twins.

Before he could reach them, he was pulled back and slammed against the wall, heaving as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Looking up, he stared into dark eyes, pink hair falling loose from its small ponytail and tickling Skeppy’s nose as the taller tightened his grip on his shirt.

“Don’t. Touch. Them.” Techno said in a low voice, eyes flashing dangerously as Wilbur was behind him, grabbing onto the twins and checking them over for any injuries. Brown eyes filled with worry as cold, shaky hands pulled them close to his chest, hugging them tight as he let out a shaky sigh. Eret quickly pushed through the crowd and rushed to Fundy, tilting his head back pressing a handkerchief into his hands to avoid splattering the floor with blood.

Wilbur looked at Eret and nodded his chin to the hallway leading to the nurse’s office, eyes worried as he heard Fundy’s pained whimpers. Eret nodded and wrapped an arm around the ginger haired boy’s shoulders, whispering encouragement to him as he led him to the infirmary. With a sigh, Wilbur turned and let go of his brothers, looking over them once again.

“Jesus christ, you two are going to give me a heart attack one of these days. What happened?” he pulled away and looked down at them, quickly glancing at Techno and placing a hand on his shoulder in order to stop the pinkette from injuring Skeppy and getting in trouble. Hesitantly, he let go of the younger boy, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest as he stood beside Wilbur and the twins. Skeppy snorted and rolled his eyes, attempting to fix his collar and sleeveless blazer as Wilbur shook his head and turned to Tommy.

“I was just asking about Bad, and he just got mad and-”

“Because he’s acting like he actually cares about him.” the other was quick to respond, giving the rest of the students a sharp look that made them slowly start dispersing. Wilbur looked at Skeppy, then back at Tommy as Tubbo piped up and quickly shook his head.

“That’s not true! We really do care about him! Just because Tommy doesn’t know how to express his feelings openly-”, that got him a punch on the arm by his twin, “-doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care!”

“Yeah right.” 

Before Wilbur could say anything, Skeppy picked up the broken broom and walked away, leaving them stranded in the middle of the living room with their fellow classmates talking in hushed whispers around them. The tallest sighed and removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache begin to form behind his eyes. Techno picked at his fingernails quietly, paying no mind to them as he leaned against a wall and tried to make himself smaller.

(Though that was quite impossible. Even if Wilbur was taller, Techno beat him at the broadness of his shoulders, powerful muscle moving underneath the cotton of his shirt.)

“Look, let’s just let it go, alright? I don’t want you guys getting in trouble for something stupid. Now, Tubbo, you have kitchen duty with Nikki. And Tommy, finish cleaning up here.”

“Yes, Wilbur.” they said in synchronization, trudging off to their duties as Wilbur shook his head and pushed his hair away from his face. Turning to look at the pink haired male behind him, Wilbur smiled as patted his shoulder gently.

“Thanks for that, Techno. I genuinely thought Skeppy was going to hurt him there for a second.”

Techno blinked at the hand on his shoulder, confusion evident on his face for a second before disappearing into a deadpan look once more. He nodded silently, flashing an awkward, toothy smile at the older boy before hesitantly shrugging off his hand and walking back to the library. Checking up on his siblings one last time, he waved goodbye before heading back upstairs to the nurse’s office, humming a soft tune to himself as the oak stairs creaked underneath him. When he reached the oh so familiar door, he grabbed the door handle, chuckling at the mental image of Fundy pretending to die on the bed in order to get out of class.

Before he could fully turn the knob, he heard soft sniffling coming from inside. He froze, brows furrowed in confusion as to why there would be crying. Surely, Fundy hadn’t been injured that bad, and the only other person in there was..

Bad.

“A-Are you sure?”

Silence.

“Jesus, Bad I’m..”

Wilbur swallowed hard as he stayed frozen in place, wanting to hear but not interrupt their conversation. He could hear someone pacing back and forth, as well as the gently coughing that came from Bad. Soon, curiosity ate at him until he forced himself to open the door, met with three pairs of eyes staring at quietly. Eret stood near the window, looking out over the backyard’s orchids filled with apples, ready for picking. Fundy sat at the edge of Bad’s bed, and as soon as Wilbur looked at him, the ginger boy looked away quickly, rubbing his eyes with a whisper of there being  _ ‘something in his eye’ _ .

“Hey, just came in to check on you Fundy. Everything all right?”

“I’m okay. Just.. Just a small fracture, nothing that can’t heal. Anyways, I should get going.” 

Before anything else could be said, Fundy was on his feet and out the door in mere seconds, shoulders tense and head down as he walked by Wilbur. The taller stared after him quietly, before turning his attention to the other two. Eret sighed and looked at him, face void of emotion as he neared him and patted his shoulder. Without another word, he followed after Fundy quietly, glancing at the bedbound boy one last time before gently closing the door behind him.

Wilbur stood in silence, looking over Bad quietly. The other boy looked sickly, hair thin and face sunken in. The rosy blush that fanned his cheeks was nowhere to be found, replaced by protruding cheekbones that made Bad look like nothing more than a skeleton. The older boy smiled at him like he always did, sweet and kind and everything nice in between. He coughed once more, covering his mouth with a handkerchief that Wilbur could tell was Skeppy’s. Shuffling towards him, the taller took a seat beside his bed, leaning back and sighing as his back connected with the back of the chair. 

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the only noise between them being Bad’s ragged breathing and the gentle tap of Wilbur’s leg bouncing. Wilbur stared out the window and up at the cloudy sky, making a mental note in the back of his head to make sure the twins wore their sweaters out. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Bad made a gentle noise to catch his attention, his own eyes staring off at the window that Wilbur had been looking at moments before.

“Sorry if I scared you. Just wanted to make sure you were still here.”

“Hm. Yeah, I’m here. Do you need something? Water, food, more blankets?”

Bad chuckled and shook his head, eyes still trained on the swirling clouds outside. Wilbur hummed in nodded, following the older’s gaze to the outside. After a few more seconds of silence, Bad glanced to the side a bit, tired eyes looking over Wilbur’s features.

“You heard, didn’t you? When Fundy and Eret were here.”

“No,” Wilbur quickly responded, gaze immediately dropping to the floorboards below, before saying, “I mean, I heard Fundy crying. Thought he really was hurt.”

Bad nodded and continued watching him, boney fingers tapping against his thigh in a quiet rhythm. Wilbur swallowed the lump in his throat and awkwardly cleared his throat, before standing up and brushing off his pants. 

“Well, I’m going to see whether dinner is done or not. I’ll make sure to have Tubbo bring you a muffin that Nikki baked earlier.”

“Ooh, muffins! Sounds wonderful.”

Wilbur smiled and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair. Before he could walk out, however, a cold hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Turning, he could see Bad leaning over the bed, looking down at the floorboards quietly as Wilbur tilted his head and waited.

“I just.. Thought I should let you know. I’ve told Skeppy, and earlier I told Fundy and Eret as well. You might as well know too.”

“Know what? Bad, what are you going on about?”

Bad sighed and let go of him, resting his back against the pillows sitting him up. As he began to explain to him, Wilbur’s breath hitched. The blood pumping in his ears grew louder, nearly muffling the older boy’s words as the taller took a staggering step back, nearly tripping over himself as his hands began to shake. Bad looked at him and smiled, gaze slowly turning back to look out the window as a bony hand came up to clutch at his chest.

“I’m dying, Wilbur."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on TWT! : @milkbagio
> 
> Or on my (completely fucking empty) Tumblr! : milkbag-03


	5. September 13, 1884

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> my god it's like 8pm and I am so close to passin out fsjdlkf
> 
> anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! we're finally got some progress going >:)

_Giggles could be heard coming from their cots as Skeppy had a hand pressed against his mouth tightly, trying desperately to keep quiet as Bad pinched his leg to distract himself. They waited in silence for the familiar footsteps of the nightguard to pass by their room before letting out a string of hushed snickers, playfully pushing each other before slipping the bed sheet over their heads. Skeppy opened the book once again and untucked the pencil from his ear, waiting for Bad to turn the oil lamp on so he could see where to write._

_“Okay so far I have Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Where else would you want to go?”_

_“Hm.. Oh! What about France? That’s a good one!”_

_Skeppy grinned and nodded, jotting it down in their notes labeled ‘_ Places to Visit’ _. Bad smiled and began to brainstorm different activities they could do when visiting the different countries, nearly smacking Skeppy when he let out a few curses when his pencil broke. They evidently fell into another fit of giggles, each trying to hush the other so as to not give themselves away. Eventually, Skeppy found himself lifting up the loose floorboard under his bed, tucking in the journal carefully and picking up a small box._

_“Did you get anything today?”_

_“I got paid 5 shillings.” Bad piped up with a smile and reached under his pillow, pulling out the silver coins and dropping them into Skeppy’s hand. The younger smiled widely and dropped them into the box, satisfied with the clinking they made. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of pennies and dropped them in as well, closing the box and tucking it under the floorboard once again, Standing, he brushed his robe off before slipping into bed, grinning happily as Bad copied him and turned to face his best friend._

_“Hey Bad?”_

_“Yes Geppy?”_

_“What’ll happen to us after you graduate?”_

_“Well, I’m hoping to get a better job once I’m out of here. Once I have a stable job and a place to live, I’ll earn more money so that when you graduate, we can kick the bucket and backpack all of Europe.” Bad explained with an easy smile as he turned to lay on his back, smiling a bit bigger as he thought off all the things he’d be able to do once he was freed from the shackles of the school. Skeppy smiled and nodded, turning to lay on his back as well as he subconsciously raised a hand in the air, reaching for something that wasn’t quite there yet._

_“Us against the world, Geppy. Just you and I together.”_

_Bad giggled and slipped his glasses off, gently folding them and placing them on the bedside table with a small click. Skeppy heard his friend get comfortable, and within a few seconds, the room was filled with the soft snoring of the older boy. Skeppy slowly lowered his hand, laying it across his chest as he played out the different scenarios waiting for them in the near future._

_“Just us against the world..”_

\---------------

“..ppy.. Eppy.. _Skeppy!_ ”

The boy’s eyes flew open in shock, sitting up straight and nearly bumping foreheads with the other person. Sapnap jumped away in time, confusion written on his face as Skeppy tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

“Hey, you okay? I haven’t seen you look this panicked since the day you forget we had visits.”

“I’m fine. What did you need?” the older asked, sighing and pushing his hair away from his face. Looking around, he realized he was tucked away near a window in the back of the library, piles of books and pillows surrounding him as he rubbed his temple. Sapnap slowly nodded and scratched the back of his neck, stuffing his other hand into his trousers and awkwardly looking at his feet. After a pause, he sighed and cleared his throat, not meeting Skeppy’s gaze in fear of his own emotions.

“I uh.. Well you see um.. Dream, George and I talked to Bad and-”

“God, if you’re here to give me pity, please just go away. You’ll make a fool of yourself.”

Sapnap froze and stared at him, eyes blown wide in shock. Skeppy looked at him, tired eyes filled with no emotion, pleading for him to go away. The younger was quick to shake his head, raising his hands defensively as black hair moved back and forth with him.

“No, no that wasn’t it at all! We actually.. You know what, it’s better if you came with me. I’m terrible at explaining stuff.”

Skeppy raised a brow, confusion written on his face clear as day. When Sapnap started walking towards the exit, Skeppy was hesitant, to say the least. He wanted no pity, wanted no words of sorrow or condolences. His best friend was _sick_ , dammit, not dead. Even after what Bad had told him that night, through a fit of coughing, Skeppy didn’t believe him for a second. He _couldn’t_. If he was able to overcome everything before, why couldn’t he overcome this too? With a deep inhale, Skeppy shimmied off the window sill and followed Sapnap out of the grand keepsake of books, walking into the hallway and closing the oak door behind him.

The pictures of saints that lined the hallway left a burning sensation on the back of Skeppy’s neck. Oil painted eyes watched him like they could see into his very soul, like they could read his sins and virtues. Every time he gazed upon the statue of Mary situated in the flower gardens on the other side of the stone arches of the hallway, he felt something in him stir. It was dark, something evil, and nothing like what Mary stood for. He averted his gaze as he continued following Sapnap, eyes trained to the rock ground as a breeze blew through them. Sapnap stopped in his steps, his gaze falling upon the same statue that Skeppy desperately tried to avoid, staring quietly at the marble figure.

“Can we please _go_ already?” Skeppy asked, restlessness building in his chest and making it hard to breathe the longer he stood before the religious figure. Sapnap hummed softly, before shaking off his thoughts and continuing forward through the school, passing classmates who they didn’t even know the names of and professors who had punished them with a ruler to the hand more than once. Eventually, they reached the common room in the first building, hushed talking and gentle laughter filling the air as Skeppy looked around in confusion before turning to look at Sapnap with a raised brow.

“Sit on the couch, I’ll bring the others.”

Before Skeppy could say anything, Sapnap was running off, leaving the older boy standing awkwardly in the middle of the common room. With a sigh, he trudged to the couch and plopped himself onto it, eyes trained on the fireplace that crackled and popped gently as the fire ate away at the logs placed on the hearth. He didn’t realize he had zoned out until someone was clapping their hands in front of his face, snapping him out of his daydream and bringing him back to the real world. Looking up, he saw Sapnap standing beside George and Dream, the three looking at him with the all too familiar twinkle in their eyes that Skeppy had seen multiple times.

“What are you three planning?”

“Nothing.”

“Liars, I know that look. That’s the look you always have whenever we pull dumb stuff on the professors.”

George rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses, before crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at the masked boy beside him. Nudging him with his elbow and a jut of his chin, Dream pulled his hands out from behind his back and held a small box out to Skeppy, his other hand coming up to his face to push away at the dirty blonde curls that fell over the mask that hid him from the rest of the world.

“Here, for you.”

“What is it?”

“Open it, idiot.”

Skeppy rolled his eyes at the jabbing nickname before grabbing a hold of the box and sitting up properly. Placing it on his lap, he gave the others a confused look once again before gently pulling off the lid. With a single look inside, he was slapping the lid back on, looking around wildly to see if anyone was watching before turning his attention back at the other three boys with wide, brown eyes.

“What the bloody hell is this?”

“‘ _Bloody hell_ ’? Who are you, Tommy?”

“ _Sapnap_.”

“Jeez, sorry, just trying to ease the tension.” the brown haired boy mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly before looking at George with pleading eyes. The older sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking back up at Skeppy and motioning at the box with his hands.

“That’s for Bad. Dream, Sapnap and I put our money together, and once word got out, more people contributed. We hope that’s enough money for him to get some type of help.” the boy explained, keeping his arms crossed as his gaze dropped back to the floor, examining camel coloured shoes with a sudden interest. Skeppy continued staring at them with wide eyes, mouth moving like a fish out of water. Dream chuckled and stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking himself on his heels as he smiled softly, his mask lifting a bit with the movement of his cheekbones.

“And before you say anything, there’s no need to repay us. We honestly just want Bad to receive the help he deserves, and considering how indigent this place is, we know it would be.. Difficult, to say the least, to get proper help.”

“Thank you..”

“Oh don’t swe-”

“No, seriously. Thank you, so fucking much. You have no clue what this means to us..” Skeppy trailed off, getting choked up as he quickly rubbed his eyes harshly, determined to not let any tears fall. Dream blinked, before sighing and shaking his head, still smiling softly.

“Bad’s our friend too. We just want the best for him, and we know you’re willing to go through hell and back for him.”

Skeppy nodded wordlessly, trying desperately to swallow the lump forming in his throat. Sapnap took a seat beside him and gently rubbed his back, a smile softer than anything Skeppy has seen plastered on his face. After a few minutes of trying to get Skeppy to calm down, the brown eyed boy looked down at the small box resting on his lap, eyes shining brighter than they had the past few days. However, that was quickly replaced with a confused look as he turned to look at Dream once again, who was now resting on the second couch sitting to the left of him.

“Where.. Where do I take him? Who do I give this to? If I give it to the school, there’s a possibility they’ll just take it away and accuse me of stealing.”

“We.. didn’t think that far.” George confessed, scratching at his head as he gave Dream a worried look. The dirty-blonde haired boy hummed in thought, resting his elbows on his knees as he pondered over their next move. The four boys sat in pensive silence, the only sound being the crackle of the flame and the patter of feet coming from their fellow classmates. The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped them out of their thoughts, all 4 boys turning and coming face to face with Philza. 

“So I heard you guys might need some help?”

“Were you eavesdropping on us?”

“Nope, you guys just talk too loud. Honestly, lower it down a notch, or that money will disappear in the blink of an eye.” he warned, walking up to them and standing beside the couch where Skeppy sat with his box. Glancing at the white case on his lap, Philza chuckled and shook his head, pushing longish blonde hair away from his face and placing his hands into his pockets, shoulders drooped casually and tie loosened the smallest bit. 

“Phil, do you know of someone that can help us?”

“Personally, I don’t. But I do know someone who you can talk to, and they may just have the doctor you’re looking for.”

“Great, who is it?” Skeppy asked excitedly, standing and holding on with dear life to his little box. Phil hesitated, before chewing on his lower lip in contemplation.

“You’re not going to like it, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Please, how bad can it be?”

\---------------

“Wilbur.”

The older boy looked up from his book, brown eyes peering over thin, round frames. He sat on the couch near the fireplace, ankle resting on his knee and his cream coloured shirt unbuttoned just slightly. He screamed the height of posh, looking like one of those Greek statues that Skeppy remembers seeing in Techno’s history books. With a shake of his head, he took a deep breath in and chewed on his lower lip in thought.

“I-”

“Are you here to talk to me about a doctor for Bad?”

Skeppy blinked, before slowly nodding, taking a seat on the other end of the couch and looking forward quietly. Wilbur hummed and closed his book with a gentle _thud_ , placing it on the coffee table in front of him before returning to his original pose. Skeppy looked back down at the box in his hands, clutching it tight and closing his eyes as he began to think of his best friend and his worsening health. Wilbur spared him a glance, before removing his glasses and letting out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose gently.

“God, Skep I’m..”

“Please, don’t. Just.. Just tell me whether you know of someone that can heal him, _save_ him. Please, it’s not fair, it’s not fucking fair..” the younger trailed off, choked up by the tears he was forcing himself to hold back. Wilbur looked forward sightlessly, the lower part of his face covered by his hand. 

“..There’s a doctor I know, he’s an old family friend of my parents. He’s the best that we’ve ever seen, helped my mother through the birth of the twins, my father through terrible illnesses.. He’s the guy you’re looking for.”

“Wh-”

“But, he’s not in Brighton. Hell, he doesn’t live in the UK anymore. He lives in France, more specifically Paris. To be able to contact him, you’d need to somehow get to Paris and find him.”

The younger boy stared at him wordlessly, brown eyes holding a storm of emotions as he turned his gaze forward quietly. He could feel his last shred of hope start to crumble away, not being able to stop his head from hanging in defeat. He quietly nodded in discernment, before getting up and making his way out of the common room, biting his lip as tight as he could to try and cease his tears from slipping. He’d never be able to get the treatment Bad needed, would never be able to see his best friend leave this cursed boarding school like he always dreamed of doing. Skeppy choked on a sob as he slapped a hand over his mouth, unable to meet anyone’s worried gazes as he blindly looked for the door to leave the room.

“Skeppy.”

Hesitantly, the younger turned to look at Wilbur, eyes red and filled to the brim with tears as he desperately tried to blink them away. The taller grimly smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, a gentle squeeze bringing a warm comfort to Skeppy.

“I’ll get you that doctor, even if it’s the last thing that I do. But for that, we need to take a little trip.”

“A trip? Wilbur, you don’t mean-”

“Pack your bags, Skeppy. We’re going to Paris.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on TWT! : @milkbagio
> 
> Or on my (completely fucking empty) Tumblr! : milkbag-03


	6. Announcement Pog

HI HELLO UHHHH

  
  
I DONT KNOW HOW ELSE TO SAY THIS BUT I HAVE COME TO THE ABRUPT DECISION TO DISCONTINUE THIS STORY

  
  
THIS IS BECAUSE I GOT A WAYY BETTER IDEA THAT I CAN ACTUALLY WORK WITH AND IT DOESNT MESS WITH MY SMALL SICK PEA BRAIN

And to be fair, writing this story took a turn for the worst. I lost interest, I lost confidence, and I lost the inspiration that was there the first time I planned it out with my friend. But!! I have a new idea that I actually like quite a lot, and it works well with my comedic nature. 

So I'm sorry for anyone that was genuinely interested in this story, but it is time to move forward! Thank you for your support, and I hope you can continue to support me through the new idea that I have for this story and it's plot :D! 

This story will continue to be up for at least a week or so, before finally being taken down. Once again, thank you guys for your support!! Love ya lots, stay hydrated!


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